At Long Last
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Lily tries to escape her past by going to America to work on her novel. She never counted on James Potter breaking down her walls. Warnings for language


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts below :)**

**Flying Lessons Task 8: Write about something taking a long time to do**

**Note: This is a Muggle!AU**

**Word Count: 4787**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.**

**Enjoy!**

Lily's pen practically flew across the paper, her green eyes glued on its movements. This could be it—the breakthrough she'd been hoping for. She flipped through her notes, wanting to double-check that her idea didn't contradict the plot she'd already drawn up—

Ah. Of course.

Lily threw down her pen in frustration, pulling at her long, red hair. She had been stuck in this cycle for weeks, unable to come up with an idea that she could fit into her work in progress. Rent was getting harder to pay, but she just couldn't seem to convince herself to work overtime—it would mean less time to write, and that was the equivalent of giving up her dream.

"Stuck again?"

Lily looked up, startled, to see a man with messy black hair grinning down at her. He was holding a pitcher of water and reached out to refill her glass.

She thanked him, a bit curtly, and said, "Yes, Potter. I don't know why I thought that would change."

James Potter spread his arms out wide. "Evans, this is New York! We didn't come to America just to be stuck somewhere else. And you know, to be great you have to dream hard enough."

"You have to _work_ hard enough," she corrected the waiter. She came to this cafe every week to write—it seemed the only place where she could get into a creative mindset—and since her very first visit, James Potter had decided they were destined to be friends because they were both from England.

She wasn't sure why James had left home, but her own story was sad enough. She remembered her departure as though it had happened yesterday—the shouting, the shattering vase, the unforgivable words that she and her sister had said after the funeral—

Lily pulled herself out of that memory with difficulty. She looked up at James, who was shaking his head at her.

"That's not what the stories say, Evans. You ought to know that."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Don't believe everything you read."

"Says the writer."

Lily raised a brow. "Says the woman who is going to pay her bill now."

James sighed, taking the hint. He left to go get the bill, leaving Lily with her thoughts once more. She had been a bit rude, she knew, but he had made his interest in her known. She wasn't looking for any sort of relationship right now, no matter how charming he seemed. People were disappointments. It was better to never get too close.

Back at her apartment, Lily pulled out her laptop and did some quick research. She had just over an hour before her shift started, and she wanted to make the most of that time.

The door opened, and her roommate Marlene McKinnon stepped in.

"Lily," she called, "are you back from the cafe yet?"

"Yes," Lily answered. "I am. In the sitting room."

Marlene came in, pulling off her heels and tossing them to the side. Then she began pulling pins from her dark hair, wincing as she did so.

"See that cute waiter again today?" Marlene asked after a moment.

Lily didn't look up from her screen. "Marlene. He's a man trying to do his job, and I'm a woman trying to do mine."

Marlene scoffed. "Please. It's obvious that he likes you—"

"I never said it wasn't."

"—and it's obvious you like him as well!"

Lily glared at her friend. "It can't be, because I don't."

She and Marlene had met on the plane to New York, when they had first left England nearly a year ago. Marlene was pursuing a high-paying job that stationed her in the big city, and Lily was just trying to escape her past. They spoke for the first time when Marlene accidentally spilled her drink on Lily's blouse, and had stuck together ever since.

"You need to have a bit of fun," Marlene was saying. "Lily, you are a beautiful, devoted woman, but you can't just work yourself to exhaustion like this. You need to find some real joy in life, and that James Potter seems like just the ticket. If it doesn't work out, then fine, end it. But don't just let this chance slip away."

Lily frowned. "I don't need anyone in my life."

Marlene stood up, pursing her pale pink lips. "Of course you don't. But it could be nice to have company when I'm not around."

Lily looked over at her friend, propping her chin on her fist. "I like my men how I like my coffee… incapable of loving me back. Nothing can come out of it that way. James definitely _doesn't _fall into that category."

Marlene scoffed. "I'm sure that's not true."

"It is."

"Just give it a try." Marlene came over and hugged her shoulders, looking at her imploringly. "Who knows? Maybe it will be the best decision you've ever made."

"It could also be the worst," Lily retorted, but she felt her resolve waver slightly. Marlene had a point; if she kept going on like this, she'd suck the joy out of life. She needed a break. But was James the one she needed?

She sighed. "I'll think about it, Marlene. But no promises."

The other woman grinned, proud. "That's my girl. You better hurry, though—you'll be late for your shift."

Lily checked the time and cursed. She ran around for her shoes, listening to Marlene cackle. "I'll get you back for that!" she shouted as she ran out the door.

* * *

That night, Lily was hard at work once more on her novel. The characters were developed now, she felt with satisfaction. Now she only had to fine tune the plot.

She ran a hand over her face, checking the time. She balked when she saw how late it was—almost one in the morning. Marlene had gone to sleep long ago, but Lily still felt wide awake. She sighed and put away her computer, then plugged it in to charge.

She laid down in bed, her face pressed against the pillow. She waited for sleep to come, but after half an hour decided it was hopeless. She threw off the duvet and trudged into the kitchen, then put the kettle on. She thought about what Marlene had said while she made the tea.

James was very nice. He was funny, and kind, and almost ridiculously optimistic. He liked to sit with her when he went on break, and she noticed that he seemed to work all hours of the day—no matter what time she arrived, extremely late or extremely early, he was always there. It made her suspect that money was tight, or he was saving up for something better.

She sat at the table, sipping from her mug occasionally, and looked out the window at the New York City skyline. It was beyond gorgeous, and by far her favorite thing about the apartment.

Lily leaned back in her seat, exhaustion starting to creep up on her. James. He scared her, she realized suddenly. He seemed to genuinely like her, but if she opened up to him, if he knew what she'd been through… would he stick around? Every other boy she'd tried things with had run when faced with the rocky roads her life inevitably held. Why should James be any different?

Lily put her head in her hands and sighed. She should get to sleep.

She placed the empty mug into the sink, then collapsed back into bed, her head hitting the pillow. She buried her face in it, and sleep soon took her.

* * *

"_Petunia, please!" Lily pleaded. "We—we need each other, we can't just keep pushing each other away—"_

"_Yes, we can," her sister seethed. "I don't care what mother said. She's gone now, and I want you to leave. If you come near my family again, I'll—"_

"_I _am _your family!" Lily shouted. "Why do you insist on pretending otherwise? What did I ever do to you?"_

_But she knew. She had been accepted into an elite school, and Petunia had not. Lily was the one with all the friends, the one with wonderful marks in school—but her sister couldn't see that all of that paled in comparison when she thought of her sister. She wanted Petunia's love, but the jealousy had poisoned their relationship into something neither of them recognized. _

_Now Petunia was marrying Vernon Dursley, and she wouldn't tell Lily where she was going. She wanted to make a life for herself away from her little sister. It stung more than Lily could have possibly imagined. _

_Lily hadn't told her yet that she had dropped out of school, that she was out of money to pay for her education and that she didn't have anywhere to turn. She didn't want Petunia to help her because she was forced to—she wanted her to want to help. _

_Petunia crossed her arms, her brown hair falling out of its bun as she regarded her sister angrily. "I need some space. I need to be someone other than Lily Evans' older sister."_

"_You're more than that to me," Lily said harshly. "But right now, all I can see is the poor, insecure girl you really are, what everyone else sees—"_

_She jumped into the air when the vase crashed into the wall to her right, missing her by about half a meter. She stared at her sister in shock, and Petunia looked just as startled. Broken glass was scattered on the floor, and the flowers that had once stood so proudly were discarded around the room, drowning in puddles of water. _

"_Fine," Lily said quietly. "Give me enough for a plane ticket and I'll leave tonight."_

_Petunia looked at her for a long time, and for one hopeful second, Lily thought she would call her back and apologize. But instead, she walked into the kitchen and came back with a wad of pounds. She gave Lily half of it without bothering to count and said, "Pay the change back someday."_

_She turned away, and Lily stared at her, stunned, with the money in her hand. "You're just going to let me go?" she choked out. "Without saying goodbye?"_

_Petunia didn't turn around. "Why should I? I'm finally getting my peace."_

* * *

The next week, Lily was working once more on her masterpiece. It had two chapters, which she counted as progress—it had taken weeks of planning, researching, and development to get this far, after all.

She looked up when she heard the chair next to her scrape against the floor and saw the cheeky grin of James Potter's.

He adjusted his glasses, his hazel eyes gleaming. "Hullo, Evans," he greeted. He nodded toward her notebook, which was almost bursting from all the scraps of notes she had stuck inside. "Any progress?"

"A bit," she admitted. She thought about their last encounter and decided that it was high time she apologized. "I'm sorry about last week by the way, Potter—that was rude of me, and I… well, I shouldn't have said that."

James waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "That's all right. We all have bad days, Evans. And you can call me James, if—if you'd like."

She gave him a small smile. "Sure. And you can call me Lily."

There was a tiny voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like Marlene cheering at this small progression.

James grinned, and Lily thought that he looked sort of adorable when he was this excited.

"Right, yes, Lily. So, anything on your mind? I've got about fifteen minutes left of my break, and I can't think of a way to spend them."

Lily rolled her eyes, but she decided to humor him. "There's quite a bit on my mind, actually. Like how the hell I'm going to get this to work."

James hesitated, then asked slowly, "Mind if I ask what it's about?"

An hour later, and Lily decided that James Potter was an absolute angel who would get a free copy of the book, if she ever managed to get it published. To her surprise, he'd loved the idea, and while he was gushing out questions and theories, she had been able to put something together that she couldn't have thought of without him. He continued to talk to her about it, a quick question when he passed her table that she would answer quickly when he passed it again. It was fun, she realized. _He_ was fun.

Marlene was wrong. She didn't need to be _with_ James to have fun—being his friend was enough. Better yet, it was something Lily felt she was ready to do.

After he got off his shift, Lily invited him on a walk, eager to ask for his opinion on one of the characters. He agreed enthusiastically, and Lily found herself laughing more than she had in almost a year.

"Thank you for letting me stay," she said suddenly after a while. "I mean—I know that I often overstay my welcome at the cafe."

James smiled kindly. "Nah, don't worry about it. My boss is cool; he's used to getting all sorts of artists and things that come and go as inspiration hits. Besides, you're a regular customer. No harm, no foul, and all that."

The sun was setting now, casting a spectacular glow over James' face. Her heart did a funny jump in her chest.

"This is me," she said softly.

He nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "Yeah, I should get back, too. I have to transfer my paycheck over before tomorrow."

Lily looked at him curiously. "Transfer your paycheck?"

She wanted to take the words back as soon as she'd said them. It was obviously a personal thing, and she had no right to be asking about it. She knew better than anyone that some things you just _didn't_ share with others.

But James wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, he _answered_ her. "Mmmhmm. One of my mates back in Britain is a bit sickly. I'm helping pay some of the hospital bills, despite his protests."

She lifted her brow in surprise, then decided to risk asking another question. "Why are you doing it so far away, though? As a waiter?"

"I want to go to school here, one day," he admitted. "That's why I came here in the first place—football scholarship, though I guess they call it soccer here—but when I got word about my mate, I decided to put that on hold. I want him to see me win the Cup, after all."

James grinned widely, and Lily found herself staring. How could this man be so selfless as to do all that? He'd put his entire future on hold when his friend fell ill. Lily wasn't sure if she could do that; she'd worked so hard to reach this point that she couldn't imagine throwing it all away.

"I hope he gets better," she said sincerely.

James' smile softened. Lily could see the worry in his hazel eyes, and she wished there was something she could do to fix that.

"Thanks, Lily. I'll pass that along."

Lily nodded, then cleared her throat. "So. Football?"

James laughed. "Oh, definitely. It's a bit of an addiction, to be honest—it was my life at school." He seemed very proud of this fact, and Lily caught herself smiling fondly.

"I was never much of an athlete," she admitted. She bumped her shoulder into his arm playfully. "I'd go and cheer you on, though."

He beamed at her, and when they said goodnight, Lily couldn't help but think that his smile had been contagious.

Before she walked through the doors of her apartment building, she said, "One day I will, you know. Come cheer you on."

James mussed up the back of his hair in that endearing way he had, his expression almost shy. "I'll hold you to that," he teased.

She laughed. "Please do."

* * *

Their lunch chats became a weekly thing. Lily wasn't sure where this was going, but she couldn't complain; it was rather enjoyable. They talked about anything and everything, and Lily found herself flowing with ideas for her book. Maybe Marlene had been right—all she needed was a bit of fun.

"I think that's brilliant!" James exclaimed, clapping his hands together for emphasis. "It's so suspenseful, you know, knowing all the conflict but none of the solutions. Was this your master plan? To make me so curious that I fight my way to the front of the line once the little devil's available?"

Lily snorted, rolling her eyes at the man. "No, of course not. Though if you do, I wouldn't complain."

"You'll have to autograph it for me," James told her, sending her a wink. His eyes were sparkling. "I'm so proud of you. You've come a long way."

Lily's smile faded. She looked down at the table and murmured, "I think you're the only one."

James didn't respond, which prompted Lily to look up after a moment. His brow was furrowed as he regarded her carefully.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked finally.

She shrugged, almost wishing she hadn't spoken. Letting that out had been an accident, but she found herself longing to unload on someone—and why not James, who loved her sense of humor and always shared his worries? He trusted her with everything. She could trust him with this.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "My… my sister and I don't get on," she said quietly. "We haven't for a really long time. She's the reason I left England, actually—she wanted to get away from me, and I didn't want to stay where I wasn't wanted. She even gave me the money for the plane ticket."

James didn't interrupt, which she appreciated. It was odd, though—his expression was grim, like he'd heard this story before.

"Our parents died some time back," she continued. "After that, there just didn't seem to be any point in pretending we could fix our relationship. And of course, normally people don't stay long after they find out how dysfunctional my family is."

"But your parents," James said after a moment, "they were nice?"

The question surprised her. "Yes, of course they were. Why?"

James smiled sadly. "One of my mates—he's more of a brother, really—doesn't get on with his family, either. They're a bunch of bigoted pricks, disowned him and everything. He's got a brother who renounced his existence, as well."

Lily flinched. "That's awful."

"Yeah," James agreed. "I guess what I'm saying is… I don't run from a little family drama, Lily." A smile suddenly grew on his face. "You're stuck with me, sorry."

Lily giggled, relieved that he wasn't uncomfortable. "You're a pretty great bloke, James. Thanks for letting me… bare my soul."

He put his hand over hers. "Hey. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that life… life is unpredictable. Not everything is in our control. But as long as we're with the right people, we can handle anything."

Lily blinked back tears, suddenly emotional. She laughed weakly. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be so—so ridiculous," she apologized, wiping at her eyes, "but that's the first time anyone's really bothered with… everything."

He squeezed her hand, conveying that he understood. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

She believed him.

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait—tell me everything again," Marlene insisted, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "Potter asked you out?"

Lily bit her lip and nodded. "Yes."

"And what did you say?"

"I… I said I'd get back to him in an hour."

"_What?"_ Marlene squawked. "Lily, are you mental? The two of you have been going on your little dates for months—"

"They're _friendly outings,_" Lily corrected her.

"—it's about time you make it official!"

"Marlene, I just don't know if this is a good idea. Things are going so well right now… what if that changes?"

Marlene sighed. "Exactly. It probably will change, but why wouldn't it be for the better?" She walked over and pulled her friend into a hug, despite being a couple inches shorter than Lily. "I just want you to be happy. Just give it a shot, yeah?"

Lily hesitated, then picked up her phone. "James? Hello. Yes, I'm coming over."

The whoop on the other end made her smile.

* * *

Their date to the cinema was a disaster, but neither of them called it a fail. They went out for weeks, and it was the happiest time of Lily's life. But reality soon came crashing down—rent, even at half-price, was harder than ever to pay, and she knew that she would have to put her hard work on hold until she had enough saved up.

James hated this idea.

"Move in with me," he asked for the hundredth time since he went on break. "I own my flat, so you wouldn't have to pay rent. And you're over all the time, anyway."

Lily shook her head. "I can't! James, this is all too soon. Besides, I can't just leave Marlene."

"Marlene _supports _this," he pressed. "And Lily, she doesn't need help paying rent. She was thinking of moving out anyway."

"I know," Lily groaned. "But James, it's not a good idea."

"Why not?" he asked in exasperation.

She hugged her arms around herself. "This… We have two different dreams, okay? You want to be a football star, and I want to get my book published. And I know you—you'll keep working overtime so I have some time to write, and you'll learn to resent me for it because you can't pursue your own dream, and everything will fall apart—"

"Of course it won't! Lily, I don't need to be big in football—I just like playing, even if it is just a weekend match—but I _do_ want to be with you! You—you're everything to me. I love you."

The last part was said in a whisper, a hesitant confession.

Lily froze, her green eyes wide. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and time seemed to stop. For a moment all she could see was James over the past few months, bringing her tea while she worked feverishly at the cafe, throwing popcorn at her when they binged shows at his flat, holding her gently when she fell asleep on him…

But it was too much. This was all too much. Things were going too fast, and she was terrified of getting her hopes up, only to have them dashed later. It was safer for both of them if she just stayed away—she didn't know why she had done this in the first place.

Tears sprang to her eyes, but she refused to shed them. She hugged herself, standing up abruptly. "James, I… I just can't."

He stood up too, and her heart broke when she saw his devastated face. "Lily, please—"

"We can't do this anymore," she whispered, backing away and shaking her head. "This was a mistake."

"Of course it wasn't! Lily, please—"

"No, I can't—I just can't!"

She turned around and raced away.

* * *

Marlene wasn't speaking to her. It had been a week since the breakup—a week of eating alone, ignoring his calls, and eating half a tub of ice cream in one sitting. Marlene told her the first night that she had been beyond stupid and to call him and apologize, but Lily couldn't. So here they were. Giving each other the silent treatment.

Lily stared at her notebook, but no words were coming forth. It was like all her ideas had been lost with James.

She hated being apart from him. She knew she didn't have any right to feel that way, being the one who ended it, but she did.

Love had never been a part of the equation. It wasn't something that was supposed to happen to her—she'd told Marlene months ago. She could love men, but she didn't want them to love her back. Everyone who loved her left, one way or another. She couldn't let James be in those numbers—she couldn't get hurt again.

So she'd made sure to hurt him, like the selfish monster she was.

She buried her face in her hands. She needed to fix this. Somehow.

Lily took a deep breath and picked up her phone. She pressed James' contact before she could change her mind, holding the device to her ear.

"Lily! Is that you?"

A lump formed in her throat. "Hi. Yes."

A pause. "Well?"

He was relieved, but also angry, she realized. And he had every right to be.

But she didn't know how to say any of it. She didn't know how to tell him that commitment scared her, that all the people she loved were either gone or hated, how unworthy of his love she felt… she couldn't say any of it.

All she could say was the truth. "I love you, too."

There was silence on the other end. "Why did you run off?"

Lily inhaled shakily. "I love you," she choked out, "and that scares me. I'm not good with commitment, and… I just couldn't stand the thought that you might one day leave. I thought I might be saving myself the pain, but—shit, I've never felt so bad in my life."

James laughed suddenly, startling her. "Lily, I told you. I'm not going anywhere. Not if—if you're completely broke, or have amnesia, or took up a job in China. I love you, and that's not going to change."

Lily sighed with relief, feeling like several tons had just been lifted from her shoulders. "I don't deserve you," she said truthfully.

"Hey, none of that." James' voice was stern. "You, Lily Evans, are the most incredible, talented, beautiful woman I have ever met and I will not let you say otherwise. Got it?"

She couldn't help it. She laughed. "You are such a _dork_, James."

Sh could practically hear him grinning. "Ha, ha. But you love me anyway."

Her expression softened, and she cradled the phone almost reverently. "Yeah, I do."

Then James asked a question that Lily herself had been wondering. "Are we back on?"

She hesitated. She wanted to be, and she wanted to do it better this time, but she wasn't sure if that was what James needed. She wasn't sure where they stood in their relationship anymore. "Are you still mad at me?"

"A bit," James admitted. "But I think we can get past that."

"If you want to try again so soon," she said, "then I'm game."

"Bloody brilliant. I'll be picking you up around eight, then? Cinema?"

Lily laughed out loud. "You don't waste any time, do you? I'll see you then. Pick a good movie."

"I always do."

She scoffed, and he protested, but they were both smiling when the call ended.

* * *

Six months later, Lily was pushing her way through the crowded stands, jumping up and down as she tried to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend. She finally found a good seat and cheered just as loudly as the most avid fans.

It was energizing, the atmosphere, and she felt caught up in it all. James was just as skilled as he said, and she admired his small form as it darted between the members of the opposing team.

When the game ended, Lily rushed out of the bleachers to congratulate the winning team. Her boyfriend beamed when he saw her, his hazel eyes sparkling in a way only football could make them.

"Lily! We won! We're going to—"

She interrupted him with a kiss, pulling his down and digging her fingers into his sweaty hair. "I know," she breathed. "You were amazing."

He grinned happily, winding his arms around her. "I'm glad you came."

She snorted. "How could I not? You practically blackmailed me into coming."

"I reminded you of your promise! Not blackmail," he protested. "I would never stoop so low."

Lily made a noise of disbelief, but spoke before he could react. "I'm glad I came, too." A slow smile spread across her face, and her cheeks flushed from excitement. "And guess what else."

James wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "What?"

"I finished it!" Lily burst out. "It's finally done, ready to be sent to the publishers—James, I did it!"

He whooped out loud, and Lily was suddenly overwhelmed by her absolute love for this man. "Lily, that's fantastic! You and I ought to celebrate our wins tonight—how about it?"

Lily kissed his jaw, her green eyes staring into his hazel ones lovingly. "I'd love that," she told him.

And at long last, everything seemed to be looking up. She was looking toward the future now, with the most amazing man she'd ever met at her side—and nothing could make her happier.

**A/N: **

**Writing Club:**

**Assorted Appreciation: 13. (dialogue) "Don't believe everything you read."**

**Disney Challenge: Themes 2. Romance — Write a romance**

**Book Club: Hephestia — (word) peace, (character) Lily Evans/Potter, (plot point) holding someone to their promise**

**Showtime: 8. Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise) — Write about someone starting new**

**Amber's Attic: 4. (word) addiction (5 bonus points)**

**Love in Motion: Marauder — Jily**

**Sophie's Shelf: 3. "I like my men how I like my coffee… incapable of loving me back."**

**Em's Emporium: 6. Alt. Write about a blurred line**

**Liza's Lodes: 9. Write about a writer**

**Angel's Arcade: 5. Terra Branford — (word) beautiful, (color) pale pink, (object) flowers, (genre) romance, (setting) sunset**

**Lo's Lowdown: Dialogue 3. "Life is unpredictable. Not everything is in our control. But as long as we're with the right people, we can handle anything."**

**Bex's Basement: 2. Write about a couple arguing. **

**Film Festival: 14. (word) hopeless; 22. (dialogue) "Thank you for letting me stay."**

**Fan Club:**

**27\. Marlene McKinnon, 4. Pillow**


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